Journal article
Navigating virginities: enactment of sexual agency among Arab women in the USA
Culture, health & sexuality, v 21(10), pp 1103-1116
03 Oct 2019
PMID: 30646837
Featured in Collection : UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel
Abstract
People interpret virginity in a variety of ways with different implications for sexual identity and behaviour. In Arab societies, heterosexuality and compulsory virginity before marriage are traditionally understood as ideals for a 'good' Arab girl, a 'good' Arab family and, consequently, a 'good' Arab society. In this study, our goal was to gain an in-depth understanding of the enactment of sexual agency and decision-making around virginity from the perspectives of Arab women living in the USA. We conducted a qualitative phenomenological study involving interviews with ten women whose accounts could be grouped into three distinct types: 'For me, it's the person you marry that you will be doing these things with'; 'I want to wait until marriage but I know there might be a possibility where I'm not'; and 'I started dating this guy, and I did lose my virginity to him'. The life stories of the women illustrate different ways of enacting sexual agency that are strongly influenced by socio-cultural norms and contexts. Our findings have important implications for future research to better understand decisions and behaviours about virginity and how Arab women in the USA enact their sexuality.
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Details
- Title
- Navigating virginities: enactment of sexual agency among Arab women in the USA
- Creators
- Sarah Abboud - University of PennsylvaniaYzette Lanier - New York UniversityLoretta Sweet Jemmott - University of PennsylvaniaMarilyn S. Sommers - University of Pennsylvania
- Publication Details
- Culture, health & sexuality, v 21(10), pp 1103-1116
- Publisher
- Taylor & Francis
- Grant note
- Office of Nursing Research and the Gender, Sexuality, and Women's Studies at the University of Pennsylvania Office of Nursing Research at the University of Pennsylvania
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- College of Nursing and Health Professions
- Web of Science ID
- WOS:000494293400002
- Scopus ID
- 2-s2.0-85060156745
- Other Identifier
- 991019330810004721
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- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- Web of Science research areas
- Family Studies
- Social Sciences, Biomedical